Noticeboard

All of our patients have an accountable named GP who is responsible for overall care. If you are unsure who this is please ask next time you visit the practice. If you have a preference to which GP that is please contact the practice.

Furzton Medical centre will introduce a new role of a nurse practitioner from April 2016 , if you have a minor illness we would recommend first you speak to your local pharmacy and if required book an appointment with our nurse practitioner there are a number of conditions she is able to prescribe for please check with reception upon booking.

Do we have your upto date contact details ? please ensure you provide the practice with any changes

Appointments

We Offer 10 minute open access appointments in the morning. We advise you to register online where possible for all of our services, if you are not able to book online please contact reception to book these appointments

Afternoon surgeries are pre-booked and some same day access with various start times for different doctors, you can book 4 weeks in advance. One appointment is for one patient only. If there is more than one patient that wishes to be seen please tell the receptionist at the time of booking or if you feel you may need a longer appointment with the doctor, please tell the receptionist and it will be made as a double appointment for you.

We have Advanced Nurse Practitioners who are able to see and treat a range of conditions .Minor Illness , Blood pressure , Minor Injury where possible we ask that you book with the Urgent Care team in the first instant

When you call our team the Care Navigators will ask for brief details of your illness/ symptoms. This is at the request of our doctors to ensure that you are directed to the right clinician the first time

Urgent Appointments

If you need urgent medical advice please call 111

Non-English Speakers

Our doctors have a variety of language skills that make it easier for you to attend your medical appointments and have a conversation in your first language.

Practice Nurses

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly. Nurses’ appointment times vary depending on procedure. There is a nurse at both sites Monday to Friday at various hours.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 11:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

Training

We are not a training practice but from time to time we may have other professionals undergoing training i.e. student midwives, student nurses, pre-medical students or student health care assistants.

Please let us know if you do not wish a student to be present during your consultation.

How to book an appointment with our practice

We strongly advise that patients register with our online services , this will give you quick access to booking of appointments and other services. By using online services where you can it reduces the call volume into the practice which means when you do need to call us for something other than an online service we will be more available to pick up calls

GP appointments

On the day appointments

Book online or if you do need to telephone our lines open at 8.30 am

Reception opens at 8.15 am you may have to queue and wait to be given an appointment

Book in advance

Online appointments

Through Reception or telephone

FURZTON - Minor Illness Nurse Appointments –

Book online or telephone

Reception opens at 8.15 am you may have to queue and wait to be given an appointment

Nurse appointments – Book in advance

All of our practice nurse appointments are booked in advance, you can do this by

Telephone – we ask that if possible you call after 10am to allow us to deal with on the day G.P appointments

Through reception

For fasting blood tests there are online appointments available , but these should only be used for fasting blood tests

Health Care Assistant appointments – Book in advance

Telephone – we ask that if possible you call after 10am to allow us to deal with on the day G.P appointments

Through reception

For fasting blood tests there are online appointments available , but these should only be used for fasting blood test

Phlebotomist appointments – Book in advance

Available online

Through reception

Diabetes / COPD appointments with our specialist nurses are all available to book online

Asthma reviews are available as a questionnaire online we do ask that you book an appointment for these every other year and in the interim you can complete your review online using your questionnaires in online services. Your results will be sent to our specialist nurses

If you do not have access to book online please ask at reception for an application form

Following the introduction of a Paramedic role and the lead into preparing for winter pressures ,We have now introduced a home visit policy to enable us to manage home visit demand and patient care. Please see our policy below .

Home visits requests are to be called through to the surgery before 11.00 am and will be triaged by our paramedic. Home visits are for urgent requests where a patient or carer is unable to assist a patient coming to the surgery. Please be aware if you live outside of our practice area and cannot access our surgery we advise you to register closer to home. During high demand we are unable to visit patients out of our area

1Introduction

1.1Policy statement

The purpose of this document is to ensure that all personnel fully understand the practice system for the triaging and prioritising of home visits, thereby ensuring that patient safety is not compromised.

1.2Status

This document and any procedures contained within it are non-contractual and may be modified or withdrawn at any time. For the avoidance of doubt, it does not form part of your contract of employment.

1.3Training and support

The practice will provide guidance and support to help those to whom it applies understand their rights and responsibilities under this policy. Additional support will be provided to managers and supervisors to enable them to deal more effectively with matters arising from this policy.

2Scope

2.1Who it applies to

This document applies to all employees of the practice and other individuals performing functions in relation to the practice, such as agency workers, locums and contractors.

2.2Why and how it applies to them

Following a patient safety alert issued by NHS England in April 2016[1], it was recognised that there is a requirement for practices to have in place a system to triage and prioritise home visits. The alert states:

“When a request for a home visit is made, it is vital that practices have a system in place to assess:

whether a home visit is clinically necessary; and

the urgency of the need for medical attention.”

The practice aims to design and implement policies and procedures that meet the diverse needs of our service and workforce, ensuring that none are placed at a disadvantage compared with others, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Consideration has been given to the impact this policy might have in regard to the individual protected characteristics of those to whom it applies.

3Policy

3.1Home visit requests

Requests for home visits at Bedford Street Surgery are received via telephone between 8.15am and 11am Requests received after 11.00 am are to be referred to the Paramedic

All requests for home visits are triaged by the practice paramedic / ANP or Duty Doctor and recorded on System One .When discussing with the patient their condition, it is essential that the following are confirmed:

Patient’s full name (if not the patient, full name of the person calling and relationship to patient)

Date of birth

Address

Contact telephone number

Named GP

Known existing medical conditions

Reason for calling/duration of symptoms

3.2Home visit justification

Home visits are at the discretion of the GP surgery , the urgent care team will determine if the visit is clinically necessary through telephone triage. Visits are reserved for patients who are genuinely housebound, including those in nursing and residential homes, and terminally ill patients.

A GP , paramedic or ANP may conduct a home visit if they believe the patient’s condition:

Prevents them from travelling to the practice, or

The condition may deteriorate as a result of travelling to the practice

Home visits will not be authorised as a result of:

A lack of transport

The patient’s financial situation

Childcare issues

Poor weather conditions

Any other situation deemed inappropriate by the clinician

3.3Home visit management system

At Bedford Street Surgery the flow diagram at Annex A illustrates the processes which are to be adhered to for home visit requests.

3.4Recording information

Practice specific

3.5ANPs and home visits

At Bedford street Surgery Paramedics and ANPs are permitted to undertake home visits for patients with chronic diseases and undiagnosed conditions. The home visit management system is used at the practice to make certain patients receive a home visit in a timely manner.

ANPs who are willing and contracted to undertake home visits will follow the ANP home visit process as detailed overleaf.

1Summary

Home visits are a fundamental element of general practice and they enable the practice to meet the needs of the patient and ensure that care and treatment are provided in a timely manner. To make sure that the care delivered outside the confines of the practice is appropriate and effective, visits must be structured and clinicians must follow the guidance provided. By doing so, patients will receive the necessary level of care in an appropriate time frame.

self referral

There are a range of services you can now use without the need to see a GP